Miguel Ángel "Míchel" Salgado Fernández is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a right back. Nicknamed Il Due, he was known for his combative tackling and attacking play. Attesting to his aggressive style, his former Real Madrid teammate Steve McManaman – where he spent an entire decade, after excellent displays at Celta – once described him as "the hardest person in the world....a genuine psychopath, even in training." He also played three seasons in England, with Blackburn Rovers. Salgado, who appeared in 341 La Liga matches and scored seven goals, represented the Spanish national team over eight years, collecting more than 50 caps and appearing in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Club career
Celta
Born in As Neves, Pontevedra, Galicia, Salgado began his professional career with hometown's RC Celta de Vigo, making his La Liga debut on 22 January 1995 in a 0–4 away loss against Real Madrid. He was loaned for a season to UD Salamanca in the Segunda División, and after his return became the first-choice in his position. Whilst at Celta, Salgado was involved in an incident with Atlético Madrid's Juninho Paulista in February 1998: after a dangerous challenge, the Brazilian was sidelined for six months and missed that year's FIFA World Cup. Salgado scored a career-best three goals in the 1998–99 campaign, helping his team finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Real Madrid
In 1999, Salgado was purchased by Real Madrid for €11,000,000, playing 29 league games in his first season while also helping the club win the UEFA Champions League. He was the capital side's starter during his first seven years, but was relegated to the bench by former Sevilla FC youngster Sergio Ramos in 2006–07. Salgado was still able to contribute with 16 matches for the Merengues' 30th national title, mainly due to injuries to Pepe, with Ramos being relocated to centre back. In the following two campaigns he featured very rarely, being sent off in the final game of 2008–09, a 1–2 loss at CA Osasuna on 31 May 2009 as Madrid slumped to a fifth consecutive league defeat. Salgado was released in early August 2009, with the team already midway into pre-season.
Blackburn Rovers
Aged nearly 34, Salgado moved to Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League on 19 August 2009, signing a two-year deal after impressing manager Sam Allardyce whilst on trial. He went on to say he was happy to be playing for his new club, intending to retire at Ewood Park. in 2015 Salgado made his competitive debut on 12 September 2009, against Wolverhampton Wanderers as a late substitute. On 27 October he scored his first goal for his new team, in a 5–2 victory over Peterborough United in the Football League Cup. On 27 January 2011, 35-year-old Salgado agreed to a contract extension. He was first-choice for the first games in the 2011–12 season, until picking up an injury. Blackburn manager Steve Kean revealed in December 2011 that Salgado was being omitted from the squad as his contract stated that the player was entitled to a new deal if he played nine more matches in the campaign, the club not being able to afford fresh terms.
Futsal / Later years
Aged 40, Salgado came out of retirement to join Kochi 5s in India's Premier Futsal as a marquee player. He later was part of the board of Heritage Sports Holdings, which owned the football clubs Gibraltar United F.C. and UD Los Barrios. Salgado came out of retirement again in April 2018, starting for Independiente F.C. in a 1–1 draw against C.D. Plaza Amador for the quarter-finals of the Panamanian Clausura tournament.
